The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 329

Was this girl actually serious?

Still... she tasted surprisingly good.

The corner of Liam's mouth curved up against hers. Slipping a hand to the back of her head, he effortlessly took control of the kiss.

A jolt surged through Sarah. She was ready to bite his head off.

Son of a bitch!

He actually slipped his tongue in!

Jocelyn sat off to the side, staring in absolute, wide-eyed astonishment.

Wow...

Julian casually handed her a slice of orange.

"Getting tired?"

Jocelyn accepted it, her mind drifting back to his earlier confession.

"Were you really secretly in love with someone?"

She honestly couldn't believe it.

He was Julian Vance. A man like him never had to settle for unrequited love.

Julian offered a faint smile. "Yes, I was."

"And it definitely wasn't your fiancée?"

"No. It was someone before her."

Jocelyn's curiosity was now at maximum capacity.

"Then why didn't you go after her?"

"It's just how I am," he replied smoothly. "I don't like fighting a battle unless I know I'm going to win."

Jocelyn let out a quiet laugh. "Can you really apply corporate strategy to matters of the heart?"

"In my experience, they operate on similar principles."

"Fair enough."

"But by the time I finally decided to make a move..." Julian lowered his gaze, his soft chuckle masking a world of heartbreak. "She had already fallen for someone else."

Jocelyn looked at him with profound sympathy.

"What happened after that?"

"After that?"

"Yeah. Did you two ever see each other again?"

The man's deep, quiet gaze rested on the soft, flawless contours of her profile.

"We're friends now."

"Really? Now I desperately want to meet this woman who managed to completely steal your heart."

A subtle emotion rippled through Julian's eyes before his lips curved upward.

"If the opportunity arises, I'll introduce you."

The minute timer chimed.

But the two people making out showed zero signs of stopping.

Jocelyn practically choked on her orange slice.

"Are they..."

"Let them be. They're adults. They know exactly what they're doing," Julian murmured.

"But... I really feel like Sarah..."

If the first glance was her imagination, what about the second time? Was she still just seeing things?

Julian took a slow sip of his wine.

Liam immediately shut the thought down.

Impossible.

She bragged about playing the field just as much as he did.

The energy in the room had hit a fever pitch.

But Sarah's smile no longer reached her eyes.

Whenever she was called on again, she instantly chose the penalty.

After downing several glasses in rapid succession, she hadn't quite blacked out, but she was definitely riding a heavy buzz.

Unable to watch her self-destruct any longer, Liam started intercepting her drinks, taking the hits for her.

Jocelyn watched the whole spectacle unfold like a comfortable outsider enjoying a reality show.

By some miracle, she had completely dodged the draft every single round.

Drawing her next card, she smiled.

"I have to admit, my luck is pretty stellar tonight."

Julian chuckled. "It certainly seems that way."

The second the words left his mouth, the dealer flipped the Joker and called Jocelyn's exact number.

Well, she had officially jinxed herself.

"Truth or Dare?" the dealer asked eagerly.

Jocelyn considered her options.

"Truth."

There wasn't really anything in her life she needed to hide.

"Alright, Miss Evans. If you absolutely had to pick one of the guys in this room to marry, who would it be?"